


Office Hours

by DigitalMeowMix



Category: Saiyuki Gaiden
Genre: Fluff, Gen, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:07:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28137420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DigitalMeowMix/pseuds/DigitalMeowMix
Summary: It’s a wonder Tenpou gets any work done with so many interruptions.
Relationships: Kenren Taishou & Tenpou Gensui, Kenren Taishou/Tenpou Gensui, Konzen Douji & Son Goku, Konzen Douji & Tenpou Gensui, Son Goku & Tenpou Gensui
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	Office Hours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [empyrean](https://archiveofourown.org/users/empyrean/gifts).



> Thank you to my beta for their hard work and patience!

It’s a wonder Tenpou gets any work done with so many interruptions.

”It’s bullshit”

The current interruption to his work day was that Kanzeon Bosatsu’s nephew was lounging on the loveseat in his office in a fouler mood than usual. He had stormed in without explanation while Tenpou had been sorting some paperwork and sensing a rant of epic proportions. Tenpou had simply offered him a cup of tea. Before he had met Konzen Douji he had never imagined someone could sip tea so aggressively, But Konzen drank his tea with forceful sips between bemoaning the new duty that had fallen upon him from his aunt.

The idea of Konzen Douji caring for a child was shocking enough but to none more than the unfortunate guardian himself.

Tenpou thought it was hilarious. But Konzen was currently holding a hot liquid so he kept that to himself.

”He’s loud and dirty and his stomach is a bottomless pit, and he follows me everywhere! Konzen growled. “I have to keep locking him in his room with food to get a minute's peace. It’s a pain in the ass.”

Tempou considered the other man for a moment. His pristine clothes were wrinkled and he was resting his feet on the love seat like he had been on them all day. It was certainly a new look for him. Konzen’s baseline for everyday life was boredom at heavenly bureaucracy and social niceties, but today he just sounded tired.He had never seen Konzen care enough about anything to be tired.

Konzen was blowing off steam now but when was truly angry his outward mood rarely raised above withering contempt, but this rant was more frustration.

“I’m sure he just needs time to adjust,'' he said. “he’s just a boy. Once he grows comfortable with you he might be easier to handle”. As he said it he knew neither of them believed it by the way Konzen rolled his eyes so hard Tempou thought the man might spill his tea.

This child was not a simple youth. A heretic child was more like a feral beast than a human. Or at least that’s what his research told him.

He listened to Konzen complain about the child a while longer until he finished his cup of tea and sighed.

“I have to get back. The little brat has probably broken out of his room and colored on the walls by now.”

Tempou gave Konzen a sympathetic wave and a few child care how-to books that he had recently unearthed from a pile in the corner as his colleague departed.

Once he was alone Tenpou put away the used teacup in the cupboard and lit a cigarette. It seemed like palace life was bound to be getting interesting with its new wild occupant. It might mean trouble, but his place needed a little shaking up.

He had just finished signing a stack of paperwork that was due two months ago when Konzen’s new ward arrived at his door with an enthusiastic knock .

He opened the door to see the child looking at him curiously. His hair was combed and cut and his tunic and pants were cleaned which were both marked improvements from when he was brought to heaven two weeks ago. So it seemed Konzen had finally won the battle over baths.

He took a moment to remind himself what name the boy had introduced himself with before greeting his guest.

“Hello Goku,looking for Konzen? I’m afraid he isn’t here.”

“Nah Konzen is working, I'm bored so I went looking for someone to play with,or even something better to eat,” Goku replied carelessly as he invited himself in and gazed around.

Ah, so he most likely had been told to stay in his room out of trouble while Konzen attended to his duties, and had decided to ignore those instructions.Children certainly were troublesome .

“Ten-Chan,is this where you live ?”

“Oh no this is just my office where I do my work,” he explained.

Goku began to wander about the office, his iron leg cuffs dragging loudly on the hardwood floor as he shuffled about, exploring. He had asked Konzen about the necessity of the restraints and had been told it was “fucked up but required”; whatever that meant. The cuffs were most likely enchanted as well as being quite heavy.

Tenpou watched the boy peer at the overstuffed book shelves, the unlabeled boxes stacked high around his desk, at the piles of even more books strewn around the floor. Some piles were nearly taller than him.

Tenpou had the sudden thought that this wasn’t really a child proof environment. He remembered at least a few of his books being cursed, although for the life of him he couldn’t remember which.

“Wow so much stuff,” Goku said.

Tenpou preferred to think of his decor as eccentric instead of unkempt, but Goku's remark had none of the disgust that was evident in others’ tones when they remarked upon his office.

“Well I need lots of books to learn things to be able to do my job.”

Never mind that half the books here were simple earth curiosities that amused him and the other half he had not gotten around to reading yet.

“Books teach you stuff? Konzen has been teaching me stuff too. He says I need to learn how to read.”

“Oh really? That’s very responsible of him.” perhaps Konzen was adjusting to being a caregiver.

“Yeah mostly he just yells a lot though. But he’s teaching me the Kanji for my name!”

Ah, well, small steps.

Tenpou thought for a moment and had an idea.

“Until you learn to read I have quite a few picture books I’ve collected from earth that you are welcome to look at,” he offered.

“Really? Thanks Ten-chan!” The boy looked so excited at the idea he imagined that Konzen had not provided him enough playthings. He made a note to ask Kenren to bring him some toys from earth. He didn't imagine the other only other child in the palace had any.

For the next few hours he gladly ignored his work load to sit on the floor with Goku, showing him books illustrating the natural world of earth. The rivers and forest and the mountains and their flora and fauna, as well as a very simple instructional manual for origami.

The paperwork that was then used to construct the origami probably wasn’t that important, and the crookedly shaped cranes and overly creased flowers the kid had given him before he left that now perched on the only corner of his desk not covered in mess. It made him smile every time he saw them.

He returned to his office from making a fresh cup of tea to General Kenren napping on his loveseat. He was not surprised that Kenren let himself in; neither of them ever had much use for decorum.

“When did you get back?” Tenpou asked.

Kenren's eyes were closed but he still answered sleepily.

“Just now, I'm too damn tired to bother dragging my sorry ass all the way to the barracks,” he drawled.

His uniform jacket was draped over the back of the loveseat and his boots sat next to a burlap bag he sometimes brought into the missions. Many times he had been given strange and mundane earth knick knacks that Kenren claimed he just stumbled upon and thought of Tenpou Immediately. Kenren had joked in the past that he was contributing to Tenpou’s hoarding habit, but Tenpou thought it was more that they both had the same vice for simple pleasures.Tenpou could smell the smoke and copper of bloodshed from the battlefield wafting off Kenran as he lay there. It seemed his last mission was eventful.

“I don’t mind,” he insisted as he went to sit back down, blowing on his tea.

Before he sat he had a sudden thought and paused.“You're not bleeding on my furniture are you?”

Kenren gave a tired laugh.“No, I'm fine this time, just exhausted.”

Good, Tenpou just had that loveseat upholstered after an unfortunate coffee incident.

He sat down and sipped for a moment. He expected Kenren to say but it seemed he had fallen back asleep.That was fine with Tenpou. Neither of them had any need for unnecessary chatter.

An hour and a half later Tenpou was interrupted from some reading by a loud yawn as the general awakened and stretched.

As he stood to put his jacket back on, he said, “Thanks for that, man. I needed it. Oh, hey, I got you something.”

He brought up his bag and plopped it on his desk like a proud cat presenting his kill.

Inside was a bottle of dark, rich liquid. The label was in a language Tenpou had seen before but couldn't read.

“I heard a rumor down there that this kind of booze is the best on earth. It’s apparently made by monks.”

“Where did you find it? Or do I not want to know?” Tenpou asked.

Kenren held up his hands and chuckled while pretending to look offended at the unsaid accusation.

”A pack of demons attacked a temple in the east. It wasn’t bad enough to bring Nataku into the field but it was a mess. After we secured place I took a few abandoned bottles as payment.”

Tenpou was continuously impressed at the things Kenren managed to sneak by Goujun.

“Then thank you for the gift, General. It’s obvious you’ve had a long day, but would you care to join me for a nightcap?

Kenren smiled lazily.“Give me 10 minutes to shower and I’ll be there. Yours or mine?” He purred.

“I’ll leave my door unlocked,” Tenpou replied.

Kenren must have been rejuvenated by his nap with how fast he hustled out his door.

Tenpou door rattled open so forcefully that a stack of books by the door tipped over. Goku barged in out of breath and immediately yelped.

“Hide me, Ten-Chan.”

Goku was frequently in need of hiding from either the palace guards or his irate guardian due to his troublemaking around the palace, so Tenpou simply pointed under his desk.

Taking the hint, Goku scrambled over Tenpou's desk, disrupting most of the paperwork. He hunched under the desk by his feet. Goku gave a wide grin of thanks, showing sharp teeth. Tenpou gave him a thumbs up and returned to work.

A half hour later his door again opened without a knock. An annoyed looking Kenren entered.

“Is that little brat in here with you? This is the last damn time I play hide and seek, this palace is too damn big to be searching for one mangy little pipsqueak”

Tenpou shushed him and gestured to the floor where he had pulled the cushion where he rested his feet out from under his desk. Here lay a sleeping Goku who had gotten bored of waiting to be found and fallen asleep curled around Tenpou’s feet like a pet.

“Finally,I looked all over for this little brat. Konzen was gonna strangle me if he came back and the kid had ditched me,” Kenren muttered.

Tenpou chuckled at the general’s attempt at baby sitting. While his carefree attitude had gained Goku’s trust, between the two of them it was hard to tell who was more troublesome or needed more looking after.

“Ah general, you’ve finally been bested in a battle,what an occasion!”

Kenren made a rude gesture of insubordination and moved to wake the boy from his nap. Tenpou stopped him.

“No, leave him; he’s been no trouble. And haven’t you heard the proverb about letting sleeping beasts lie, General?

Kenren gazed at the kid for a moment. Goku’s small chest rose and sank as he no doubt dreamed of a feast .

“He sure looks peaceful for a little heretic,” Kenren admitted with a grumble.

Tenpou agreed.

“I relieve you of babysitting duty,General, enjoy the rest of your evening.”

Kenren looked puzzled but grateful at his good luck and thanked Tenpou with a grin and a salute, and slipped out the door.

“I owe you one,” Kenren said

Tenpou would certainly hold him to that.

Tenpou lit a cigarette and returned to work. Goku’s small snores were peaceful white noise. What an envious life this child leads, he thought, to play and explore until your body is exhausted and to dream the peaceful sleep of a true innocent. Tenpou hoped this strange child’s days of fun never ended.

When Tenpou’s office door slid open for the third time that evening, Konzen stood there looking exhausted despite his ceremonial clothes giving him a regal aura. His meeting must have run long and he only barely tolerated his duties on a normal day.

“Where?” Konzen simply sighed.

Tenpou pointed to behind his desk where Goku still slept curled up on the cushion like a content temple cat. The rising moon illuminated his sleeping face. He had awoken only once and had sleepily called out for Konzen. Tenpou had taken the blanket from his cabinet that he often used along with his foot cushion for office naps ,and had laid it over the boy until he fell asleep again.

Konzen trudged over to retrieve his ward. With a gentleness that took Tenpou by surprise despite 's recent growth as a caretaker, he hoisted the boy up so chin rested on the man's shoulder and made for the door. Before he left Konzen paused a moment at the threshold.

“Thanks,” he said.

Tenpou of saying it was no trouble to look after him, but instead he had an idea.

“The weather has been so beautiful lately and General Kenren has recently gifted me a bottle of spirits he retrieved from the lower world. Perhaps Goku would like to go on a picnic tomorrow?” Then, for added effect,“He missed you today,”

Tenpou didn’t have to see Konzen’s face to see the grimace he made. Whether at the idea of social interaction or the idea of being missed by someone, Tenpou wasn’t sure.

“Fine, but you're packing him lunch,” Konzen relented with a sigh.

Konzen quietly opened the door with his foot and left, carrying his ward into the growing dark of night.

Tenpou looked over the work that was piled on his desk and sighed. What a shame he always had so many interruptions in his work day.

Of course it was far too late for anymore research. He reached for a cigarette and as he took a first puff he thought of the day ahead where he would finally get a break

Tomorrow the four of them would stroll around the palace gardens enjoying the sunshine. Goku would most likely run ahead impatiently until he found the perfect cherry blossom tree and scramble up it. Konzen would accept Goku’s choice of tree by demanding they sit down already because he was tired of walking.

Tenpou would lay out a blanket and help Konzen unpack the picnic basket while Goku baited Kenren into climbing up after him, by throwing the cherries that were sprouting at his head. Kenren would take the bait and chase after him. There would be an arboreal wrestling match. Tenpou would share a cigarette with Kenren while they passed the booze around between the three adults, Goku chasing cherry blossoms nearby. Heaven was mostly boring so they could all use a vacation from the monotony

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so happy to have had the opportunity to finally write Saiyuki Gaiden fic. I have loved Saiyuki since I was a baby weeb back in the early 2000s. Happy Holidays to my recipient and all the other old school Saiyuki fans!


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